Scientists estimate that naked-eye comets happen only once every five to 10 years, according to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

If you have a clear view of the western horizon about 15 minutes after twilight, you should be able to see the comet without using binoculars or a telescope. It will look like a bright point of light with its tail pointing nearly straight up from the horizon, according to the laboratory.

In a few days, the comet may get lost in the sun's glare, but should be visible to the naked eye again by March 12. This may be the best time to look for Pan-STARRS; it should emerge in the western sunset sky not far from the crescent moon.

The comet will slowly fade from view and be hard to see by the end of the month, even using binoculars or small telescopes.

Some comet viewing tips:
1) Safety first: Don't try to look at the comet until the sun sets. Do not look at the sun using regular binoculars or telescopes. Ever! You'll burn up your eyes.
2) Comet Pan-STARRS will stay close to the horizon, so you'll need to get away from trees and buildings.
3) Look carefully! The sky will still be bright at dusk, which can make it hard to spot comets.
4) If the skies are clear, and you are away from city light pollution, you may be able to see the comet with your bare eyes. If not, use binoculars.
5) If you can't escape the city, try using binoculars.

If you miss Pan-STARRS, we might get to see a better comet later in 2013: Comet ISON.
ISON was discovered by Russian astronomers Vitali Nevski and Artyom Novichonok in September 2012. It is named after their night-sky survey program, the International Scientific Optical Network.

On November 28, it is expected to dive into the sun's atmosphere. If it survives, it might glow as brightly as the moon and be briefly visible in daylight. Its tail might stretch far across the night sky. Or it could fall apart.

Scientists say they won’t know until late summer what to expect from ISON.

soundoff(251 Responses)

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May 7, 2013 at 6:40 am |

Fall of a Thousand Suns

PANSTARRS disappointed, but hopefully ISON will make up for it.

If you'd like more information on where a comet comes from you can find it on http://www.fallofathousandsuns.com/where-do-comets-come-from.html

The site is entirely dedicated to comets.

April 19, 2013 at 9:05 pm |

snowboarder

what is up with all the religious BS on this thread? this is about an actual astrological event, not some mythology or legend.

March 11, 2013 at 12:43 am |

Mr. Lee

@bobby graham. In John 10:30 He says, "I and my Father are one."

March 10, 2013 at 10:49 pm |

snowboarder

nobody cares. religion is for the mind unaccustomed to rational thought.

March 10, 2013 at 10:56 pm |

Buck Rogers

snow....

Darwinism has bitten the dust, and now all of NASA's fakery is fully exposed as well (including astro-evolution, the Copernican myth, etc, etc). FYI, 'religion' is next, in other words, false religious doctrines will fall. Mainly the fact that the dead are indeed dead (i.e. sleeping in their grave) until the resurrections. Dead people don't 'go to God' because He is not the "God of the dead, but of the LIVING". This grandaddy of all lies began in the garden of Eden and mankind is still falling for it. Christ said He is the "resurrection and the LIFE". In other words, He alone will resurrect everyone in their order as Scripture clearly teaches.

The "fall of Babylon" is around the corner....

March 10, 2013 at 11:16 pm |

snowboarder

nasarthebest, your delusions will lead you nowhere. resurrection and eternal life are the inventions of the imaginations of primitive men. the "fall" of man is the biggest lie ever told.

March 10, 2013 at 11:37 pm |

snowboarder

the biggest lie ever told next to the "immaculate conception", that is.

March 10, 2013 at 11:39 pm |

Buck Rogers

Does anyone know if NASA plans on 'landing' on a comet anytime soon? Or is this idea far-fetched just like 'landing' on the east-to-west orbiting moon as well as Mars via parachutes and a 'sky crane'?

March 10, 2013 at 9:43 pm |

snowboarder

nasarthebest, always good for a laugh.

March 10, 2013 at 10:44 pm |

Buck Rogers

Long time no see.... still enjoying all of NASA's astro-evolutionary fakery?

March 10, 2013 at 11:02 pm |

snowboarder

nararthebest, simply living a life rooted in reality. you should try it.

are you still telling weak minded that the earch is the center of the universe with that childish website?

March 10, 2013 at 11:07 pm |

Mike W

I'm sorry, I thought this was a comment on a comet, not a theological study. Anyway, no one seems to be watching the asteroids again. How can I get that job???? A newly discovered asteroid slipped between us and the moon yesterday, a little closer than halfway.
http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=2013 EC20;orb=1

March 10, 2013 at 1:51 pm |

snowboarder

you might as well be searching for a particular grain of sand on the beach.

March 10, 2013 at 10:45 pm |

scott

Most people cant see 2 feet in front of their face

March 10, 2013 at 7:42 am |

Mr. Lee

@everyone. I am not trying to shove my religion down your throat, I am just answering questions to the best of my knowledge. I had an atheist friend, who has moved away, and we lost touch, but we hung out, and I never pushed him into believing the way I do. Yes, I invited him to church, but t hat was about the extent of it. If he would have asked me questions, I would of tried to answer them. I respect people's opinion. After all, we have a 50/50 chance of being right, or wrong. What is wrong with me living a moral life, not drinking, smoking, doing drugs, and other stuff? I will be a healther person for it. Well, I am not going to cram my religion down everyone's throats, but if you guys have any questions, I will try to answer to the best of my knowledge. But, with this device, Im only good for maybe about 300 comments, because it does not have a lot of memory. Well, have a good night everyone!🙂

March 9, 2013 at 11:43 pm |

Bobby Graham

Jesus himself never said he was God. Other people did. Funny how HE personally never said it but yet you guys think it's sufficient proof to commit idolatry. Show proof if what you say is true not something John or Matt said. If you can't show me Jesus saying I am GOD then know that you are an idolater and that is the worst thing to the creator.

Additionally. the disciples of Jesus still anticipated the fulfillment of the﻿ "Prophet like unto Moses" mentioned in Deuteronomy 18:18 AFTER Jesus [peace be upon him] had already ascended. Jesus also said in the bible: the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. JOHN 16:7. Muhammad is identical to Moses in age and in revelation. They both received revelation at age 40. Both orphaned etc. The bible speaks about Muhammad my good man.

Additionally the Quran confirms JESUS, mentions his name 25 times and Muhammad only 4 times. There is a chapter about Jesus called The Table. Another Chapter about his virgin mother MARY. The word months is﻿ written 12 times throughout the book, The word days 365 times and much more meaning if anything was changed the numbers would be off and we recently discovered this number code it was not known at the time of revelation this was discovered by Dr. Gary Miller a christian missionary.

March 9, 2013 at 11:56 pm |

OBAMA2012

Perhaps we are all over thinking this?

It is written that Jesus stated, "I am in the Father, and the Father is in me". Some were outraged by this, but hey, we are all human and, in a sense, the universe is our father, mother, or however we choose to look at it. The Universe that birthed us sure does seem similar to what he's quoted as saying.

How about stated another way, "I am in the Universe, and the Universe is in me...". Let's see. We are made of star dust, so the universe is in us. And yet we exist within the Universe. Sure does sound like he was talk about something he was aware of, that was greater than him. Something that clearly had to bring us into existence, while at the same time providing us with a home to dwell in, with family and friends(No not your physical house!).

Yep. I'm convinced. You've both over thought the matter. Jesus, whoever he may have been, seems to have been pretty intelligent guy for his time. A man who, according to the story anyway, would have been willing to take a bullet for another person, laying down his life for them. Whether he's our 'savior' or not. Well, wouldn't you consider anyone who performs a 'self-less act' to aid or assist you with something, a savior? You know, when someone's got your back and is willing to lend a helping hand?

Preach on brothers! And I hope you are enjoying this wonderful game called life:)

March 10, 2013 at 4:01 am |

Brite

I have looked in many dictionaries for the word GOD.
It always says Jehovah!
So I would quickly come to the concluson that the father's name is Jehovah.
Jesus would be his son.
Therefore I have no Idea what your talking about.🙂 Little confused are you not?

March 10, 2013 at 5:40 pm |

WIRENUT

Mr Lee with there are many different religions, with that fact the odds cant be 50/50. it's more like 1 in 10.. I'm well aware of Constantine's exploits to become and as Emperor. even after finding christainity he was a bloodthirsty,power mad killer his battle cry "pray to my god or I'll send you to yours! " I don't see how anyone could trust him to be editor of the bible,how do you?
what do you say to a man who believes in god but not of any organized religion. to a man who thinks Organized religion has been corrupted by man twisting it for the benefit of the few. what do you tell a man who thinks god can't be found in a building or temple but think's in the woods/fields is the place to find god.

March 10, 2013 at 2:16 pm |

snowboarder

50/50? that is a good one!

March 10, 2013 at 10:48 pm |

Johnny

you don't have a 50 percent chance of being right, you have a 1 in how many ever gods have been invented in the history of the world chance.

March 12, 2013 at 12:36 pm |

Mr. Lee

@ shane First off, lets get this straight, Jesus was God. Accorfing to John 1:1-14, God is Jesus.. I Timothy 2:16 also states that God is Jesus. It can be a little tricky The reason why God's creation is not perfect, is because He gave man a powerful thing: choice. And about His people, they fought in defence of their nation. The Bible is a truely engrosing read, and I encourage you to look through it. I will admit, it is not something you do in one sitting, it will take time. As for your statment about there was no Exidous, How do you know? Were you there? What is your evidence that there was no mass enslavement? The earth was not as populated back then, so what are you considdering mass?

March 9, 2013 at 10:53 pm |

Alfuso

There is no record of Hebrew slaves in Egypt. Hebrews lived in the Land of Goshen on the Nile Delta. If they had made a mass exodus, several civilisations in the area would have noted such a mass of people. There is no record.

Israelites didn't fight to defend – they attacked on orders from their god – or so they said. Slaughtered entire cities. Women and children. Made slaves out of them, if they let them live.

Gee, it seems that some people are angry at me. To hear you people talk, you'd think I was doing something underhanded like trying to get some quick hits on my new blog, calnewlanministries.com. I wouldn't dream of doing that. My new blog, calnewlanministries.com, is doing just fine without that sort of ploy.
Knock, knock
Who's there?
calnewlanministries.com

Cal, thank you for the case of giggles I experienced after reading your blog. It's sad that others are so quick to attack that they miss out on the humor in and of life.

March 10, 2013 at 9:13 am |

snowboarder

who are you again?

March 10, 2013 at 11:00 pm |

Mr. Lee

Well, Leo, I was angered at cal newlan, and was responfing to him, and that is just a reply to what others were also saying. Well, like I said, I am sorry if I offended anyone, and they have the right to their opinions, and I have the right to mine. I did not intend to get into a theological discussion, but it happend.

March 9, 2013 at 2:33 pm |

Michael

What I find interesting is that "god" has not "spoken" to anyone in thousands of years in a time when recording this event was not possible. Maybe he has spoken to the whales and dolphins and apes and dogs and countless other animals. He or she or it may have also spoken to a neanderthal or even a stegosaurus or a T-Rex. If he is the creator of everything, surely he/she/it could have found a way to converse with all of his creatures. No wonder humanity is hundreds, if not thousands, of years behind where we should be. All of these fairy tales have stopped us from growing, like children never given anything better to read than Dr. Seuss..

March 9, 2013 at 2:29 pm |

Mr. Lee

I am pretty sure that Sir. Issac Newton was a religious man. But he may be one ouf the countless. I love science, and I did not mean any harm to any athiest. After all, If you are right about there is no God then don't wory about us crazy people. What is wrong with believing there is a supernatural being, running this whole show called life? I have to admit, an act of creation is more believable than a big bang theory, and whatabout the law of cause and effect? Wouldn't thoes two rocks that collided have to come from somewhere? Where did thoes rocks come from? There had to be an origin. If you are wondering about God, he is a supernatural being, where time, space, and substance does not affect Him. He"could have created" the earth and the universe? Put a swiss watch in a bag, and shake it for the next 300 billion years, and see if it will be reaccembled, and set to the exact time. That is next to impossible. That is what kind of thing you are putting your belief in, and to me, creation is believable.

March 9, 2013 at 12:15 pm |

Alfuso

So are the laws of Physics.

March 9, 2013 at 12:30 pm |

Leonard

Dear Lee. How did you get from story or a comet to a discussion about reason and delusion?

March 9, 2013 at 2:21 pm |

Jason

For any law that exists there has to be a law maker. All humans do is discover what God created. Man did not create gravity, man discovered the law of gravity. Man did not create radio waves, man discovered radio waves and uses them in modern technology.

March 9, 2013 at 6:57 pm |

Shane

Jason, why does that have to be a god to make laws? I think you are getting confused by a word. Just because we call it a Law doesn't mean it has to be written or created. It is just how matter and energy reactions with other matter and energy.

March 9, 2013 at 8:09 pm |

pmmarion

For a good read the is always Lucifer's Hammer by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. It's about a comet the has a near collision with earth.

Actually, Genesis is the perfect science book, because God is perfect. calnewlanministries.com

March 9, 2013 at 10:31 am |

nepawoods

Genesis is not a science book at all.

March 9, 2013 at 11:10 am |

Phil Collins

I know all about Genesis!

March 10, 2013 at 11:43 am |

RRWExpat

Many fairy tale books are interesting to children.

March 9, 2013 at 11:25 am |

Needle

I'll bet you're an expert on fairy tales.

March 9, 2013 at 12:03 pm |

Linda Terrell

So are 3500 year old goat herders.

Sent from my iPad

March 9, 2013 at 8:04 pm |

BThorn

God is perfect, but God does not tell us everything. He wants us to learn things ourselves, too.

March 9, 2013 at 3:08 pm |

gager

You don't know what science is, do you?

March 9, 2013 at 5:06 pm |

Shane

If god is perfect:
Why does he require a blood sacrifice to forgive others (pre-Jesus via sacrifice, post Jesus, he sacrified his son). Whats the point of an all powerful god if he's powerless to forgive without killing?

Why are his creations imperfect?

Why does he say though shall not kill and then has his own people kill others, even women and children?

Why does he allow the Bible to be wrong (there was no mass Exodus nor mass enslavement of the Jews in Egypt)

Why does the Bible lie about the great flood?

March 9, 2013 at 8:12 pm |

WIRENUT

don't look people !!!!! He gets paid that way., He'll keep spreading this Bs if he can make a living at it.

March 10, 2013 at 5:54 pm |

snowboarder

lol. that is just plain funny.

March 10, 2013 at 11:05 pm |

.

Groovy beans.

March 9, 2013 at 9:19 am |

awaiting moderation

Very good photos.Strange world out there we know little about.

March 9, 2013 at 8:58 am |

aurelius

No telescope needed. Just a good solid bunker!

March 9, 2013 at 8:56 am |

Reda

If you have a clear view of the western horizon about 15 minutes after twilight, you should be able to see the comet without using binoculars or a telescope.
What does it mean 15 minutes after twilight ? can somebody tell me what time ?

March 9, 2013 at 6:31 am |

ben c

After the sun sets in your area. It is hard to give a specific time.

March 9, 2013 at 8:52 am |

Joe

Your local newspaper should be able to give you the time of sunset or if you have a smartphone there are apps that will tell you the sunset / sunrise time in your area. Twilight continues about 30 – 45 min after sunset.

March 9, 2013 at 9:17 am |

svann

So 15 min after twilight would translate to about 45-60 minutes after sunset?

March 9, 2013 at 10:53 am |

BThorn

The comet will be about as bright as the stars in the Big Dipper or Orion's Belt. So when you can see those stars, start looking for the comet. But the comet will be low in the West, where the sky will still be lighter than it is overhead, so you will need clear skies and a clear view of the west, and you'll have to look quickly.

March 9, 2013 at 3:11 pm |

gager

Twilight happens two times a day. Morning and evening.

March 9, 2013 at 5:12 pm |

jungleboo

Delightful article, loved the photographs with descriptions. Thank you CNN.

March 9, 2013 at 6:20 am |

Cygnus X-1

In the constellation of Cygnus
There lurks a mysterious, invisible force
The Black Hole
Of Cygnus X-1

Six Stars of the Northern Cross
In mourning for their sister's loss
In a final flash of glory
Nevermore to grace the night...

March 9, 2013 at 4:44 am |

john

I was expecting some Rush fans to fly by night in their Rosinante'

March 9, 2013 at 5:31 am |

RushRocks

nice quote -but cygnus and hemispheres are about black holes ,what does that have to do with comets ?

March 9, 2013 at 2:20 pm |

Lerxst

You're correct about the black hole thing....but any Rush reference is awesome!

March 9, 2013 at 4:53 pm |

BThorn

What's so amazing that keeps us stargazing? And what do we think we might see?

March 9, 2013 at 3:13 pm |

Andrew

Hopefully I'll be able to see it tomorrow, clouds allowing. I did get to see a great view of the Orion Nebula today, thanks to a 32 inch telescope and a moderatly dark night sky (could resolve 4 stars in the cloud, apparently with a sufficiently dark sky you can resolve 6)

A good day, but still a cometless day.

March 9, 2013 at 4:41 am |

Barbara Moore

Goodness, you don't need that big of a telescope to see the Orion Nebula.

March 10, 2013 at 11:58 pm |

worldcares

Last week, I was driving home. The sun was about to set and in the western sky, there was this bright metallic light in the western sky. It looked like a large planet. It disappeared in about 30 seconds.
I've been watching meteor showers and other celestial events all my life, but have never seen anything like this before.

March 9, 2013 at 4:17 am |

riddler

Hail Bobb was a million times better.

March 9, 2013 at 4:28 am |

nanners

I'd guess that that was an Iridium flare. Those happen when the Iridium (telecommunications satellites, I believe) catch sunlight and reflect it back onto earth off of their solar panels. If you google it, there's a website or two that will tell you when the next flare is where you live (or work).

No major scientific discovery has ever been made by an atheist. None. Ever.

March 9, 2013 at 8:07 am |

Lamar

II'm pretty sure there are atheists who discovered major things in science. If there isn't then there are listed atheists online who contributed to lots of research and experiments.

Besides, even if there is no atheists at all who discovered something major in science, then what does that mean? Absolutely nothing. Scientific discoveries still do not prove that god exists or that he does NOT exist. If god is an invisible concept in the first place, then there is no way to prove his existence. End of story.

Yes, I am an atheist, but scientific discoveries and research has nothing to do with me being atheist. That is a conclusion I have made by my own reasoning and rationalizing of different religious concepts.

No offense taken. I'm actually a former Catholic. You'll not find many Catholics named Calvin, or Luther for that matter. Part of my Internet persona is designed to draw people to my new blog. I'm really not that extreme.

March 9, 2013 at 3:57 am |

Mr. Lee

That would be similar to Canada getting rid of their penny right? They just round up or down five cents. Which might be smart economically, but does it make scence/since/whatever/ while you are doing caculations? Say, you wanted to go to Mars, what if you miscaculated the ammount of fuel by a super tiny ammout, and you were not able to return to earth because of that. This is all hypothetical.

March 9, 2013 at 3:48 am |

Fred Provoncha

Stupid clouds & rain. It rarely rains here in Utah, so it's frustrating that it chooses to rain here right when there's a rare naked-eye comet in the sky. Not just for one day, but it's gonna be cloudy & rainy for at least a week! I'm gonna completely miss the entire time the comet is at it's best! Rotten luck.😦

March 9, 2013 at 3:41 am |

Mr. Lee

@rougue351. I am sorry that I offended you. Our opinions differ, but the fact that our opinions differ is just life. I want to believe what I believe, and you can too. I am not stoping you. I was just trying to communicate with Cal, and I did find another way of communicating with him. Well, about my statment about measurements, I am just saying that our system of measurements are only as accurate as the smallest unit. And as we develop more ways to find smaller units, the speed of light will change slightly. That is all I ment.

There are limits to what we call "distance," Mr. Lee. That is, unless I'm mistaken, beyond a certain limit, "distance" or "length" are no longer meaningful concepts. The phenomenal world is not infinitely "fine grained."

March 9, 2013 at 3:33 am |

Mr. Lee

@calnewlan, I am not of drinking age, and I am a law abiding citizen, so no, I am not drunk. I just do not have a spell checker, or auto-correct on the device I am using.

OK, everyone, back to the comet. If the solar system really is billions of years old, why hasn't all the ice on these comets evaporated by now?

March 9, 2013 at 2:50 am |

mgrgurich

Because space is cold and the only lose mass when they pass close to a star. The amount of mass they lose is negligible and most of it clumps back together after they pass the star because of that gravity thing.

March 9, 2013 at 2:54 am |

Alfuso

Why are new planets still being made? Why are new stars still being born?

March 9, 2013 at 10:11 am |

Mr. Lee

@Cal Newlan. Okay, what makes you think i'm a gal? I am a male. If you can't tell the difference between Mr. and Mrs/ Miss. or anything else, you need to reed carefully. And I do not consider this sass. You have my honest prayers. I have never seen a minister who would Insult people trying to help them I do not expect you to be reasonable, however. And do you even read your Bible? It is scary to think there is a "minister" with no idea what he believes in. As I have previously stated, You shouldn't go through the Bible, picking only the parts you like, you have to live by the whole thing. I have a deepfound respect for God's Word, and it seems to me as if you are insulting it. Well, I hope you will consider what I have said. I mean this, I will be praying for you, and if you don't mind, I would like you to pray for me also. May God bless you with wisdom.

I shall pray for you, Mr. Lee. You need the prayer, and I need the practice.

March 9, 2013 at 2:47 am |

colin in Florida

Cal, you and many other religious zealots wonder why the thinking crowd dislikes religions so much. Well, here is one great example: We are talking about astronomy here, and you go and inject your religious drivel into the discussion. You have, by your own admission, your own agenda: "Part of my Internet persona is designed to draw people to my new blog." So, why don't you go and discuss the bible, Jack and the Bean Stalk, and whatever other fairy tales you may or may believe in, and leave the science to those without an agenda, those of us who think rationally.

March 9, 2013 at 8:57 am |

Mr. Lee

@ff. I realize that this is a free country, and I myself was using my freedom of speach. I was upseat at this "minister" proclaming to have knowlage of the Bible. It upsets me. So I stated my opinion. It might of seemd harsh to you, my apollagies. And, I will tell you, science is the study of God's Creation. And why s hould I take a hike? You and your buddie can.

March 9, 2013 at 2:20 am |

Rogue351

No Mr. Lee Science is not a study of GODS Creations. Science is a study of what is actually happening apposed to the lies your pastor tells you in order to scare you. The secret man in the sky likes it alot if your pastor could buy a second Rolls and he does need a private jet. I think the right thing for you to do is stop with the science / religion talk. Cancel your internet because it is more than likely a device of the devil and give they money that you used to pay for you internet to your pastor so he can once again reassure you that you will be saved. Because god only talks to guys who own private jets and drive rolls. Now that is my freedom of speech, and it makes 100% more sense than anything you or your religion claims or says.

Mr. Lee, your grammar, syntax and spelling are deteriorating badly. Are you drinking? You won't find the answer in a bottle. You need Jesus! Read some of my posts at calnewlanministries.com. You can thank me by "following" my blog. God bless you.

March 9, 2013 at 2:35 am |

Rogue351

ANYONE who thinks this is NO BIG DEAL and thinks NASA is just wasting money on space needs to read history. Space has rallied this nation before. Just as war has. However the profits for the GOP are much higher going to war so that is they way they roll. Space on the other hand will end up making the United States more money in the long run. Especially if we put 10 times more money into education. But wait the GOP / Tea party would rather take their children out to shoot guns as opposed to teaching them about science. Yep let then watch R rated violent movies, play violent video games, teach them how to hate anyone that is different and does not believe as they do. That is what we are getting for a future generation. And they have the nerve to talk about values.

March 9, 2013 at 2:16 am |

Mr. Lee

Well, I apolagize to eveyone else, if you found my comment about Calnewlan negative. But somethings really are not acceptible. And, on a different note, the speed of light varies from substance to substance. Our measurements are only as accurate as the smallest of measirements. Here is a question, Do you think that if light has a "speed", wouldn't darkness have a "speed" also? Or not, because darknes is the absent of light?Well, could newton's 3rd law come into effect? Idk if it is Newton's 3rd, But to ever action, there is an equil, and opposite reaction.

If you are TRYING to do the math that end with everything being 6000 years old because science has the speed of light wrong. Well, all I have to say is – WEAK. Read a book, Attend a lecture, educate yourself. Oh thats right if light really actually had a speed and we as humans should know about it, well then it should be in the bible right ? So I guess we are never suppose to know and all of science is wrong.

March 9, 2013 at 2:22 am |

Mr. Lee

Cal, does not the Word of God tell you to forgive someone 7X70? 490 times are you suppoded to forgive someone. You consider yourself saved??? Obey the whole Bible, and not the ones you like. But I have to say, I do enjoy laughing at you.🙂

@calnewlan What is the logic behind you going on this blog, and repeatedly making a fool out of yourself? You are a moderen day Pharasee, proclaming your self-importance, trying to appease your concience. YOU ARE NOT HELPING YOUR CAUSE! You are just going to make a fool out of yourself! There is a time and a place for trying to reach a lost soul, but a SCIENCE, not Sci-fi blog is not the place to fo it. You are pathetic. You talk about people turning off the television, and opening their Bibles, while you are typing away, further self-inflating your self-esteem. You should read the Bible yourself. Your Hypocracy is sickining. Stay between the pages of your Bible, and stop giving religion a bad reputation. May God deal with you according to all 66 books of His Word. He is just, and if I were you, I would be seriously reconsidering how I would approach representing my religion.

March 9, 2013 at 1:19 am |

ff

Hey Mr Lee. Chill out dude. This is a free country. Anyone and everyone is allowed to express his or her opinion, whatever it may be. If the good LORD so moved on his or her heart to verbalize his or her thoughts, what business is it of yours? Science as we know it today can and will never have all of the answers. Science books keep on changing each year every time new discoveries are made. So dude, if you don't like it, take a hike.

March 9, 2013 at 1:36 am |

Teresa Segal

By the way cal...I inadvertently replied to you. My comment was for someone else. You're weird ewww.

I will explain how to see comet. First of all this comet will not be that bright and will never get more than 10 degrees above the western horizon for north america even at its highest. 10 degrees equals the size of you closed fist held at arms length. So if your outstretched arm is held out and place your fist on west horizon that shows you how low this comet will be which will make it difficult to see even in a dark sky away from city light pollution. Dont believe all the exgerated hype in the news. This comet is poorly placed for the northern hemisphere. It will set soon after the sun which means the sky will never truley be dark before it sets on the west horizon even at its highest. this comet is not like hale bopp or hyatuke back in 1996 and 1997. Those were easily seen high in the sky and in dark conditions way after sun set. At one point Hyatuke was visible all night when it was near polaris the north star. Now that was a beautiful comet. If you want to see it wait until next week and find a flat west horizon away from the city. Soon after sunset look just above where the sun set. Watch this area and as 30 min go by look again. You may need binoculars. Once u spot it watch it and remeber its position. It will set around 1 hr or a little more after sunset. So dont expect some fabulous display it wont happen. Later this year comet ison may prove to be a great comet but even that one might fizzle out. Stay tuned in october 2013. By then we should know more about comet ison.

March 9, 2013 at 12:54 am |

kerry

omg THANK YOU, this is the information I really need. Well, I live in the mountains, so I can't see it. Ah well.

March 9, 2013 at 1:19 am |

bentley27

Thanks, glad to see someone sticking to the subject on here, and with helpful advice for us backyard astronomers!

Did you even look at the Giotto mission flyby pix? Halley's comet (core or any other part) looks nothing like Florida. Stop smoking whatever it is you're on and look stuff up before you go making absurd comments and looking like an ignorant troll.

March 9, 2013 at 3:40 am |

jdoe

I thought about going outside to look, but then I figured it would look just like the picture, if I can see it at all...

March 8, 2013 at 11:30 pm |

Chris

That is a rather unfortunate and sad perspective you have. You must not see or think much beyond your life's bubble.

March 9, 2013 at 12:31 pm |

jdoe

I thought about going outside to look, but then I figured it would look just like the picture, if I can see it at all.

March 8, 2013 at 11:29 pm |

Joe

Hopefully, I truthfully hope it breaks up into at least two pieces and kills someone from CNN.

March 8, 2013 at 10:56 pm |

Wild Willie

Joe – your thoughts add nothing – even if you chose to repeat them. Maybe actually looking for the comet will bring you some peace.

March 8, 2013 at 10:59 pm |

WolfBlitzen

Breaking news Joe, it is headed for your house, we have a crew on the way. FEMA called and they are willing to relocate you to Syria if you can pack fast enough you can make the choppa.

March 8, 2013 at 11:21 pm |

mr sensitive

...weird bit of drama there, isn't it Joe? Unless you work at CNN ...

March 8, 2013 at 11:28 pm |

Don

LOL

March 9, 2013 at 12:10 am |

Sean

Of course the night theres a visable comet my sky is covered in thick clouds

March 8, 2013 at 10:55 pm |

mgrgurich

It will be visible for several weeks

March 9, 2013 at 2:57 am |

Joe

Hopefully,hopefully it hits anyone working for CNN. and kills them.

March 8, 2013 at 10:54 pm |

manny

@Joe your wish might come backto you and the comet kills you .

March 8, 2013 at 11:29 pm |

Raven

Ok,,, so how long AFTER twilight can you see this thing? I don't see crap..

March 8, 2013 at 10:41 pm |

Wild Willie

Don't get frustrated – it is low now and it will be a slow rise. Moving as much north (right) as it does up over the next few days. After sunset wait 20 minutes and begin searching the area above where the sun set with binoculars. You need the lowest horizon view possible and it may look like a smudge in the sky – a dirty fuzzy ball. If this really gets good we may see a diffuse star and a tail – more likely on the 12th than on the 9th. But continue the search if the clouds stay away.

March 8, 2013 at 10:57 pm |

Raven

And I thought Id see something like the CNN photo.
I was around for Wests Comet in '75 it was awesome. you could only see it at night but it was huge.

March 8, 2013 at 11:30 pm |

bentley27

Thanks, you and Dave are being helpful to those of us interested in seeing the comet. I will definitely get out of town on the west side and with a flat view to the west, and take binoculars or a scope for enhanced viewing.

March 9, 2013 at 2:01 am |

Wild Willie

Raven – Comet West hooked me – I can still picture the sight. It was everything that Kohoutek was not. Hooked me – this one won't be like West but we only get a limited number of opportunities and those of us who saw West don't want to skip any of them.

I have been at the Griffith Observatory and the building boasts of being rennovated recently. It also shows a powerful telescope.

March 8, 2013 at 10:25 pm |

LWJR

Predicted two months ago on endtimesurvivalguide dought calm

March 8, 2013 at 10:17 pm |

Mister Salty

It's not impressive that your wackadoodle endtimes website predicted a comet two months ago that has been known about for almost two years.

March 8, 2013 at 10:54 pm |

DHNC

Kinda of stinks here. Unfortunately my College is in the center of a big city. So seeing stars and comets are impossible here due to heavy urban lighting

March 8, 2013 at 10:16 pm |

abraham Ben judea

Tell them to put motion sensors on the street lights instead of Dawn to dusk sensors....That will get of your light polution...and posibly allow us to see the next killer asteroid

March 8, 2013 at 10:47 pm |

jarret

i dont mind being taxed if it helps the nation...and i make squat. selfish, selfish people at it again. oh nooo...mr bill is all about me...me...me. u will probably remain unhappy til ur dying day. kinda sad.

March 8, 2013 at 10:14 pm |

jarret

cal, cal, go away, come back when u get another brain. or when ur not trying to make money or usrelf famous by selling the "word". ive read the bible and the science books, u should try reading both, too. instead of just the one. Might make u a better person, i beg of u, for ur own good. sounds familiar doesnt it?

Looks like no sighting tonight – I made an attempt but clouds low on the horizon made it a long shot. anyone else visit this for the interest in the comet rather than an opportunity to blather on and on about relevant topics like the President and NASCAR?

Have you prayed today, Willie? God is waiting to hear from you. calnewlanministries.com

March 8, 2013 at 9:15 pm |

Wild Willie

Cal – while you are certainly welcome to your beliefs – you are not welcome to presume yours are more correct than mine. The beauty of a comet is far from science fiction and hardly inconsistent with a strong belief in anyone's God.

God is far more beautiful than some old dirty space snowball, Willie. calnewlanministries.com

March 8, 2013 at 9:23 pm |

Stee Allard

You are truly a deplorable and patheic indiidual.

March 8, 2013 at 10:50 pm |

Voodoo

Religion is nonsense.

March 8, 2013 at 10:54 pm |

cattleprod

Cal, what I've seen from your words in the last couple of days indicate that you are one of the so called "christians" who do far more damage than good to this world. You are no more than a hate monger who thrives on stirring up negativity among an already godless society. You get satisfaction from driving nails into the coffins of the dead. Take your perverted comfort while you can. You may actually be responsible for lost lives and will be held accountable. You are in need of repentance as much as ANY of the godless. The Word is a snuggly soft pillow of comfort that you are using to smother people with. It is a hammer with which to construct, not bash peoples heads in. You are convicted by your own anti-christian action. May He have mercy on you.

March 9, 2013 at 12:10 am |

Ann B

Much to my suprise I think I saw it at 9:12 – near Pittsburgh. Looked green.

March 8, 2013 at 9:45 pm |

amandabarnettCNN

Thanks for trying to see the comet. A bunch of us working tonight at CNN.com went up on the roof of our building to try to spot it but there was a bank of low clouds on the horizon. Keep trying!

March 8, 2013 at 9:56 pm |

arppix

I'm going to try tomorrow, going to a dark sky site with a clear west horizon and bringing some equipment for pix. I'm part of the team that built the CCDs for PanSTARRS so I'm excited about this. Ignore the trolls. Good luck and keep trying Willie.

March 8, 2013 at 10:11 pm |

Wild Willie

Oh the search has just begun – this is not my first comet and won't be my last – dirty snowballs floating in the vastness of space are a treat – naked eye comets are a gift.
I will be clouded out until the 12th if the forecast is right – so on the 12th sliver crescent moon and look to the left. An easy search if the clouds cooperate.
Appreciate CNN covering this – a North America location map would be a nice addition to the article.

March 8, 2013 at 10:42 pm |

123elle

Well I'm here in Silicon Valley and it's partly cloudy at 8:50 right now, but they're predicting clear skies early next week. I might go up above the Stanford campus, where I always watch the meteor showers.

March 8, 2013 at 11:50 pm |

Teresa Segal

I know I did cal. Thought this would be an article pertaining to comets. Alas, I was wrong. There isn't any story that throws politics, etc. Shame really.

OK, kids, time for bed. Turn of the Sci-Fi channel and open your Bibles. If you people would spend one tenth the amount of time on the REALITY of God's word as you do on CNN SCIENCE FICTION stories, the world would be a far better place. If you want the truth, check out calnewlanministries.com. Cowards!

March 8, 2013 at 9:05 pm |

KevinInAtlanta

Science Fiction? What? Dude, you can see the damn thing with your own friggin eyes!! How is that Science Fiction?

Your eyes may deceive you, Kevin. God will never deceive you. You must pray for wisdom. calnewlanministries.com

March 8, 2013 at 9:19 pm |

dpeters

I actually knew someone that did not believe in the existence of the stars or even heavier than air travel (let alone spaceflight), so these people are definitely out there. And this was in Ohio in the 1990s.

Of course.. There's always that one clown, that feels the need to incorporate politics into everything. Well done sir, you are that guy. Here's your dunce cap.. Wear it with pride.

March 8, 2013 at 8:22 pm |

Bob

If you get any dumber you'll need to start wearing a helmet.

March 8, 2013 at 8:28 pm |

Mack

Surrounded by your guns, in your doomsday shelter, obsessing about Obama and secession from the union, is no way to go through life son.

March 9, 2013 at 6:21 am |

noel mike

I wish I could witness such a natural thing also;but itseems that Im too far away from the scene.Burrow me a binocular!

March 8, 2013 at 6:50 pm |

Ron S.

The earth rotates around 900 miles on its axis – while it orbits the sun at 67,000 per hour. Our Solar System as a whole is traveling around the Milky Way at 500,000 mph......while dodging comets. Awesome ride...

March 8, 2013 at 6:19 pm |

M2

Yes it is!

March 8, 2013 at 6:23 pm |

Joe

Yee haaaaaaa!

March 8, 2013 at 6:38 pm |

J.B.

Sorry try again. 500mph, I don't think so. Where did you get your facts from? Nothing moves faster than the speed of light, nothing!! That only moves at 186,000 mph.

March 8, 2013 at 6:54 pm |

They call me Joe

Wrong.... 186000 miles per SECOND

March 8, 2013 at 7:02 pm |

RG

Idiot.. ..the speed of light is 186,000 miles per second not mph.

March 8, 2013 at 7:05 pm |

km

186,000 miles per Second not hour...about 670 million miles per hour

March 8, 2013 at 7:05 pm |

Jimmy Ray

The speed of light is 186,000 miles per SECOND.

March 8, 2013 at 7:05 pm |

Tom

All of you are wrong, since you are correcting other people, and rudely might I add, its 186,282 miles per second or 299,792,458 meters per second.

March 8, 2013 at 7:15 pm |

Hadenuffyet

Well , you are correct that literally nothing is faster than light. Point two lasers directly at each other and power both together. The space between them (nothing) collapses at twice the speed of light.

March 8, 2013 at 7:19 pm |

Zwei Stein

"Nothing moves faster than the speed of light..." THAT WE KNOW OF.

March 8, 2013 at 10:23 pm |

marianna

('Hadenuffyet' wrote March 8, 2013 at 7:19 pm ):

'Well , you are correct that literally nothing is faster than light. Point two lasers directly at each other and power both together. The space between them (nothing) collapses at twice the speed of light.'

Pure poetry. Thanks!

March 8, 2013 at 10:29 pm |

Will Shirley

The speed of light varies according to the material through which it travels. Scientists have used lasers to slow photons down to almost motionless to study the form of matter produced. The rounded off figure most people use for the speed of light is 186,000 miles per second IN A VACUUM. The reason a prism works to split up light into a spectrum is because the material slows the different waveforms at different rates, separating them into the colors. So you also need to know that some sub-particles show every sign of moving backwards in time and some move faster than light. Look up "entanglement" and notice how two photons in two different locations can react to one another instantly, ie faster than light. Things are no longer governed by Newtonian physics. We are in the Age of Quantum mechanics.

March 10, 2013 at 10:26 am |

OrygunDuck

nature is the greatest show on earth.

March 8, 2013 at 6:03 pm |

matt

great comment, i agree. its good to hear someone with a positive view rather than the constant negative opinions I always see on CNN.

I totally agree Matt! CNN seems to bring out nothing but America bashers and Obama haters! I totally appreciate comments like yours!

March 8, 2013 at 6:41 pm |

matt

I would not say that my comment is negative, I'm simply pointing out what I observe in these discussions. I normally don't comment because people can be very cruel when hiding behind a monitor and keyboard.

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